Twisted Minds
by Edan Marie
Summary: With a serial killer hunting down Japan's duelists, Yugi and his friends are sent to Duel Academy for their protection. Little do they know that this killer isn't giving up without a fight...


AN: Another YGO crossover fanfic! Sorry if the time lines are a little muddled in this, I haven't seen any of GX so I don't really know how old any of the characters are. Kazuki Takahashi owns YGO and GX, not me. Please review after reading!

The rain splattered down heavily on the grey concrete pavement, the swirling clouds above resembling the downtrodden snow underfoot that was only just starting to melt. The slick ice covering the roads and the bitingly cold winds meant the streets were completely empty, save the small, hunched over figure hurrying home. The person was small and willowy, their soft facial features betraying both their gender and their youth. Glasses framed a pair of soft hazel coloured eyes, a stray lock of ebony hair whipping across the girl's face. Her name was Madeline, and she wasn't technically supposed to be outside in the first place. Her parents were strictly against a fifteen year old girl wandering the streets alone in the middle of November, especially during the worst storm to hit Domino City in twelve years. Madeline had promised her parents she'd get a lift home with her friend Layla, and Layla had happily obliged at the end of the school day.

But then the call had come. Twenty minutes from Madeline's house, Layla's mother had received an urgent phone call from the hospital. Her husband had suffered from a near-fatal heart attack, and he was in a critical condition. Layla and her mother had needed to rush to the hospital and so Madeline, not wanting to impose herself on the family, had urged the two to drop her off where they were. She'd be able to walk home fine, she'd told them, and after some convincing they had relented. Now, half an hour later, Madeline was still struggling to find her way home. She was wrapped up in several protective, waterproof layers but somehow she still found herself soaked through and chilled to the core. And she was lost. She knew she must have taken a wrong turn somewhere, but it was too late to go back now. If she turned around now, she'd become completely disorientated. When she finally got home, she was in for one hell of a telling-off.

Of course, she wouldn't blame her parents for being furious. She too shared their anxiety- she wouldn't normally, since their area of Domino City was generally known to be the safest. But times had changed. It wasn't the weather that frightened Madeline so- no; it was the news stories currently dominating Domino City's- and most of Japan's- headlines that terrified her. Ten murders in two months, the latest having only occurred three days ago. The police suspected a serial killer, for two reasons. The first was that all of the victims so far had been successful duelists. The second? The method used to kill them all. Madeline recalled with a shudder the pictures of the latest victim. Twenty-three year old Stuart Owens, the American duelist who'd won the recent Duel Monsters tournament held last month. Thousands had watched as, on live television, Owens had defeated the three-year running Japanese champion without even breaking a sweat. And now he was dead. Blood everywhere, eyes wide with terror...

Madeline forced the images out of her head. It did not good dwelling on such morbid thoughts, and Madeline was starting to feel too spooked for her liking. She'd comforted herself for weeks with the logic that the odds of her getting killed next were incredibly low. But right now, alone on the deserted street, it felt like the most likely thing on Earth. Madeline shook her head, annoyed with herself. She was becoming paranoid. Next thing you knew, she'd be hearing footsteps behind her, and then-

What was that? Madeline froze, heart thudding painfully fast in her chest. Had that been a shape out of the corner of her eye, or just a trick of the light? Madeline was too afraid to look. Too afraid to see if her fears had come true. Gingerly, she began to turn her head to the side. Then she jerked her head back, breath catching sharply in her throat. There was nothing there. Nothing. Taking a deep, calming breath, she continued walking. As she did so, she reached into her pocket, before cursing under her breath when her hand found empty air. She'd left her phone in her schoolbag. And her schoolbag, she realized now, was lying forgotten in the back of Layla's car. Stupid! she scolded herself. Instead, she settled for mentally going over her Duel Monsters strategy. Whenever she was feeling stressed, she used thoughts of her deck to calm her, and for some strange reason it never failed to work. She muttered the names of her cards under her breath, like a mantra. Her heart slowed and she allowed herself to relax.

She allowed her thoughts to drift. The annual Duel Monsters tournament run by Kaiba Corporation was going to start in just three months, and Madeline had already registered to compete. The winner got the chance to not only meet Seto Kaiba, but got an exclusive scholarship at the renowned Duel Academy. Ever since Madeline had taken an interest in Duel Monsters, going to Duel Academy had been her dream. The legendary duelists- Yugi Motou, Joey Wheeler- had been her idols for as long as she could remember. To be honest, Madeline was surprised Kaiba Corporation hadn't cancelled the tournament. As soon as the link behind all the murders had been established, duelists everywhere were fearful for the safety of the King of Games and his friends. Their lives could be in serious danger- and now Seto Kaiba was calling for every duelist in Japan to gather for a tournament! When the killer was still loose! What was the man thinking?

Madeline shook her head. And, as she did so, a shape caught her eye, and she was suddenly terrifyingly sure. On the opposite pavement, just seconds behind her, was a person. This was no trick of the light. Fear, icy and sharp, stabbed through Madeline's heart. Who knew how long that person had been there? Madeline's body screamed for her to run, but she knew doing so would only give herself away. She could only walk, and hope her bulky layers would make her look older and stronger. Maybe then she wouldn't be recognized as an easy target. She kept walking, head held high to make herself taller. She could do this. She could get home.

They were crossing the road. An involuntary squeak of unadulterated terror broke free of Madeline's pursed lips, and she wondered how she could defend herself. Her eyes darted around her, examining her surroundings through the pounding rain. Up ahead, a scarce few metres away from her, Madeline could make out a house, its front room curtains bathed in the gentle yellow glow on the lights inside. She could ask for help. Borrow their phone, call the police, her parents, anyone! But could she make it there? The snow was so thick...

"Excuse me?" The voice behind her startled her, so much so that she jumped back and crashed into the person behind her. Whoever it was cried out, and Madeline found herself apologizing instinctively. What was she doing? This person could be about to kill her! Madeline turned, fully prepared to shove them out onto the road. She could buy herself time if they slipped on the ice, enough time to escape.

It was an elderly woman. Bulky layers wrapped snugly around her, eyes wide with alarm behind a pair of thickly framed spectacles. She had her hands raised in a defensive gesture, and Madeline instantly felt guilty. She was so stupid. This woman couldn't hurt her! Relaxing, Madeline flashed the woman an apologetic smile.

"I don't suppose you have the time?" The woman asked her, and Madeline shook her head. She doubted she'd be able to get past several layers of fabric to reach her watch.

"Sorry, no." She spoke, somehow relatively calm, despite the way her heart still raced in her chest. The woman sighed, clearly unhappy.

"Oh, well. Thank you anyway. My cousin is supposed to pick me up this evening, but I have no idea what time he's meant to show up!" Laughing politely with the woman, Madeline watched her walk away until she was no longer visible through the downpour. Madeline knew then that she was just paranoid. Nothing was wrong, she was perfectly safe-

Snow crunching behind her. And this time Madeline's reflexes were far too slow to save her. A huge hand closed around her throat, cutting off her oxygen and making the scream building inside her come out as a pitiful, choked gurgle. Her hands flew to her throat, scrambling to free herself when suddenly she felt a jerking sensation and she was lifted clean off the ground. Her glasses clattered to the pavement, and Madeline watched with blurred eyes as a foot ground her glasses to dust. She didn't stand a chance. The fact did nothing to quell her panic, and as the hand harshly twisted her around, only one thought rang through her mind:

What have I done to deserve this?

The first thing that struck Madeline about the killer was that he looked normal. She knew it was shallow of her, but she'd expected someone monstrously ugly- a lumbering, nightmare of a man with bloodshot eyes that gave away his insanity. This person was quite average looking; could even be considered handsome- under different circumstances, of course. The fact that his smile looked genuinely friendly rather than threatening just terrified Madeline even more.

"I thought that old hag would never leave." He told her pleasantly, in a soft, musical voice that chilled Madeline's blood. _This isn't supposed to happen to me!_ She thought furiously, desperation clawing its way into her heart. _I'm supposed to be at home, preparing for a Duel Monsters tournament and living like a normal fifteen year old girl!_

Another thought struck her: Why her? What gave her away as a duelist? She'd never seen this person before in her life; he had no way of recognizing her. How did he know?

As if reading her thoughts, the man bent his head closer, with a taunting sneer replacing his soft smile.

"Want to know what gave you away?" He breathed, but Madeline didn't respond. Couldn't respond, not with his grip still choking her. The killer waited a moment, before his eyes flickered to something just behind Madeline.

"It was your duel disk. Even underneath all those layers, I could make out its shape on your back. Pity. Another layer might have saved you." The man drawled, and Madeline felt sickened by his casual tone of voice. What could possibly drive a person to do this? To kill so many, and feel absolutely nothing over it? Dread coursed through Madeline as his words sank in. Why did she have to forget her schoolbag but not her duel disk? It seemed incredibly unfair that the difference between remembering and forgetting had now cost Madeline her life.

"You're very quiet." He continued thoughtfully, snapping Madeline out of her thoughts. His eyes narrowed. "I don't like you being so quiet." The next thing Madeline knew, she was dropped and landed on the edge of the pavement. A white-hot stab of pain shot up her tailbone, bringing tears to her eyes, and when she tried to stand, her legs refused to obey. A choked sob forced its way out of her mouth.

"It's not a duel disk." The lie came out before she could stop it. She knew it was pointless, but a part of her refused to give up, and she blurted out the words as soon as she was able to breath properly again. The man above her glared, face twisted with disgust.

"Liar!" He hissed, darting forward and viciously yanking her thick coat off. The duel disk's shape became more prominent on Madeline's back, its sharp edges chafing painfully against her shoulder blades as he arms were yanked back with the coat. Madeline wheezed past her panicked breaths, trying to beg, but the killer was having none of it. He snatched a clump of her hair, slowly lifting her back into the air and laughing at the agonized tears now flowing down Madeline's cheeks.

"You shouldn't have lied to me. I'd have been nicer to you if you didn't lie." The man whispered, and Madeline began to hyperventilate. She didn't even want to begin to imagine this guy's idea of "nice". She couldn't control herself, too terrified to even compose coherent thoughts.

A second later, she was tossed into the air. She skidded on the icy road, and her first instinct was to run. She scrambled upright, ignoring the pain in her legs as a burst of desperation drove her forward. If she ran fast enough, she'd be able to reach the house with the lights! They'd be able to help her! Madeline didn't even stop to wonder why the killer had let her go- perhaps he'd changed his mind, or found an easier target-

That thought stopped Madeline dead. Surely she couldn't run if he'd found someone else? She'd never be able to forgive herself for letting someone else die, even if it meant she herself was spared. What should she do?

She was spared having to answer that question when something smashed into her from behind. She fell forward, crushed by the heavy weight on top of her. A scream erupted out from her lips, lost in the furious pounding rain. It could have been the wind howling through the street, were it not for the raw terror that made it a distinctly human sound.

"You didn't really think I'd let you escape, did you?" The soft voice murmured in her ear, and Madeline's shrieks dissolved into shuddering sobs. She desperately tried to force to man off of her, but he was too strong, and Madeline's body was weak from all the blows it had suffered in such a short time.

"That's my favourite game to play. I let myself play around for a bit, before deciding to see how fast you're able to run. How quickly you begin to hope again- and then I catch you, and it's only then that you truly realize your fate. That's when the real fun begins." The killer was seemingly oblivious to Madeline's cries, a distant look in his eyes as he reached into his back pocket.

Seeing this from the corner of her eye, a sudden numbness seemed to seize her limbs. Her mind seemed to finally accept the futility of fighting. The man above her, noticing her sudden stillness, was not pleased. He far preferred the victims who chose to put up a fight; the ones who didn't simply bored him. The thrill of the chase ended as soon as his prey gave up, and it infuriated him. He harshly twisted Madeline around, so the blade he'd pulled out of his pocket was in full sight. Her pupils were dilated with fear, but she still couldn't bring herself to fight.

Meanwhile, the duel disk on her back, now caught under the weight of two people, began to crack. The blows it had taken earlier had weakened the plastic material, and it had reached its breaking point. An ominous creaking sound was all the warning Madeline got, before the device snapped in half. One half smashed to pieces, and the other half ripped viciously through her layers of clothing, tearing the tender skin of her back. The sudden, stinging pain startled Madeline, and her back automatically arched away from the sharp plastic. She only ended up pressed even closer against the murderer, driving her into a panic.

Her arm lashed out, making contact with the killer's hand. Still startled by her sudden movements, the killer lost his grip on the knife, and it spun away in the darkness. He wanted to go and retrieve it, but doing so would only let the girl escape. He was stuck.

And then his eyes fell upon Madeline's straining body, and he remembered what lay underneath her. A nasty smirk teased his lips as he slowly reached underneath her, and yanked away what was left of her duel disk. Madeline fell back to the ground, confused. Then she saw the malicious gleam in the killer's eyes, and a painful twist of understanding dawned on her. Her eyes traced the wickedly sharp edges of her broken duel disk, and all at once she began to thrash in a wild panic. Her scattered thoughts were barely coherent; mind losing what little grasp it had left of her rapidly slipping sanity.

_Please- I can't die today- I'm only fifteen- I haven't done anything to you- why is this happening to me- please- I don't want to die!_

Her heart gave out before the first cut was even made.

AN: I'm somewhat concerned by how fun this was to write. I hope you enjoyed it, and please leave a review!


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